Some kind of wonderful: Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad
In the 1970s, Grand Funk Railroad was one of the bestselling American rock bands on the planet. To that, in…
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Parallel lives: a memoir that created memories
“The unsullied memory of unpremeditated gestures of kindness. These are the bread of angels.”— Patti Smith This is going to…
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A year in review: The best albums of 2025
Editor’s Note: Since August 2012, Garret K. Woodward has held the position of arts and entertainment editor for The Smoky…
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Old gold: war, time machines, and good books
In my younger years, I read Herman Wouk’s “The Caine Mutiny” and “Marjorie Morningstar,” but somehow neglected two other bestsellers,…
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Hidden holiday gems from Dickens
Recently, my mother gifted me “A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures” (Canterbury Classics, 2013, 540 pages). While I’ve read…
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Lighting the fuse: New album showcases historic 1925 ‘Asheville Sessions’
A century ago, a record producer from New York City headed into Western North Carolina in search of the sound of…
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Looking for something good: The Infamous Stringdusters roll into WNC
It’s been 20 years since the inception of The Infamous Stringdusters, the Grammy-winning string act whose tone and swagger encompasses…
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Discovering ‘Stoner,’ the novel I almost missed
In a review written in 2013 of John Williamson’s “Stoner,” Tim Kreider snagged the attention of The New Yorker readers…
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Highway junkie: A conversation with Andy Thomas
There’s a heaviness when you listen to Andy Thomas’ latest album, “Highway Junkie.” Not only from the swamp rock meets…
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Author creates a marvelous world for children
If you go to a child’s birthday party and bring a book as a present, you may not win the…
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Where the river goes: Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots
With the untimely passing of founding member and longtime lead singer Scott Weiland in 2015, and the tragic death of…
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Rediscovering place in Southern Appalachia
As author Thomas Rain Crowe discovered during his own long journey from Western North Carolina to California to Europe (and…
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It's a great day to be alive: A conversation with Darrell Scott
At age 66, legendary singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott is having a career rebirth of sorts. Though he’s always been…
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The founding of ‘The Farm’ in Tennessee
Georgia poet and author Rupert Fike and I lived in the San Francisco Bay area during the 1970s in a…
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Lonesome road blues: New album celebrates late Haywood banjo legend
In what will amount to an early Christmas present for bluegrass pickers and music lovers across Western North Carolina and…
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Toltec wisdom resonates in today’s world
Recently, I was gifted the use of a book to read on Native American wisdom by my Sylva dentist Dr.…
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Palette of the plateau: Highlands Food & Wine Festival celebrates 10 years
Each year, I find myself covering a wide array of cultural festivals across Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia…
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‘A history of the western tradition’
Recently, a teacher of history asked me, a former teacher of history, about ways to bring history alive for high…
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Down in the holler: Fireside Collective releases latest album
Since its inception in 2014, Asheville-based Fireside Collective has evolved from a ragtag bluegrass act into one of the rising…
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Love letter to an unexpected place
Henry T. and Priscilla M. Ireys will share their new book, “The Keep: Living with the Tame and the Wild…
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The musical bridge: Appalachian Road Show to play Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival
Last month, at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award show in Chattanooga, Appalachian Road Show took the stage to…
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Keep your fancy free — reading at whim
Fifty years ago this year, I dropped out of graduate school and my studies in medieval history, and set off…
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A Baby Beat poet finds his voice
“Power Spots” (Edgework Press, 2025) by Ron Myers is a first press-published book of his poetry by someone who is…
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Roving jewel: Angela Autumn comes to Franklin
Raised in the small town of Zelienople, Pennsylvania (pop: 3,769), singer-songwriter Angela Autumn recalled having an isolated childhood, one that…
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Poe biography prompts a newfound respect
“In my younger and more vulnerable years” are the words with which narrator Nick Carraway kicks off “The Great Gatsby.”…
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The living word: John C. Campbell Folk School at 100
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, the storied John C. Campbell Folk School — located in Brasstown amid the rural…
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Wisdom from an Appalachian Renaissance man
Whether you are an expert in folk music or if you can’t tell a banjo from a mandolin, a new…
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No one said it would be easy: Patrick Sweany to headline Rock for Relief festival
At age 51, acclaimed blues rocker Patrick Sweany has performed over the decades at seemingly at every venue from coast-to-coast…
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A different kind of power in New Zealand
When you think “politician,” what picture pops into your mind? In today’s world, regardless of party, it is likely a…
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Solitude is gratitude: Happily disappearing to Snowbird Mountain Lodge
There’s a certain feeling you get when you cross over the Graham County line. For most “outsiders,” whether it be…
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Author says China is playing the long game
(Editor’s note: This is the second part of Anne Bevilacqua’s review of “The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace…
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Longtime friend back again: A conversation with The Wildmans
Not far from the tiny town of Floyd, Virginia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the childhood home of…
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What kind of power does China want?
(Editor’s note: This is the first section of a two-part review. See next week’s SMN for the second part.) Does…
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Cosmic connection: A conversation with Nick Hexum
When it comes to songs immortal, 311 has them in spades. From “Amber” to “All Mixed Up,” “I’ll Be Here…
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Hunter in the hills: on safari in WNC
Several years had passed since I’d last hunted with any enthusiasm. I’d go out into the field, find some game,…
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The Walker Sisters — all on their own
Of all the chapters that I read and reviewed in my most recent review of the book “Letters From the…
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Open call for art grants
The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Grassroots Arts Program grants. Applications are…
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Don't get above your raisin': Earl Scruggs Music Festival returns
Rob McCoury can sum up banjo legend Earl Scruggs in one simple, yet seismic sentence. “Banjo at its finest,” said…
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The story of the man who saved England
Benjamin Merkle’s “The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great” (Thomas Nelson, 2009, 272 pages) tells the story…
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Tolstoy’s short stories are worth a read
Recently, I read an article about a Tolstoy short story. Curious if I had it, I pulled out Tolstoy’s, “Master…
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Local artists install new public sculpture
Earlier this summer, two Western North Carolina artists completed and installed a new public sculpture at a park in Virginia. …
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Dare to dream: A conversation with Mike Campbell
Iconic guitar riffs eternally burned into the walls of our memory. Songs that have remained the soundtrack to our lives…
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Diving into the spirit of ’70s and ’80s music
For all of you ’70s and ’80s hipsters, I’ve got one for you. In his new book, acclaimed author Paul…
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Folkmoot features Waynesville artist
The Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville will use its cafeteria to host a two-day show featuring the work of local…
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Haywood Arts presents ‘Chiaroscuro’
The Haywood County Arts Council’s latest exhibition “Chiaroscuro” will run through Sept. 1 at HCAC’s Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville.…
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Folkmoot lets festival go, pivots to next chapter
In a move that will raise some eyebrows and just as many questions, the decades-long dance festival put on by…
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Ode to Folkmoot, ode to the what’s next
July 2012. When I was in the running for the open position of arts and entertainment editor here at The…
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Read this if you’re jonesing for your phone
By now, most Americans are aware that cell phones are addictive. The dopamine hits keep on coming, and huge numbers…
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Break free, rolling stone: Justin Osborne of Susto
When it comes to modern-day singer-songwriters, Justin Osborne is becoming a fast-rising face in the musical realms of Americana, alt-country…
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A book-length love poem to nature
Reminiscent of “Starting From San Francisco,” one of the first books by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, San Francisco is also where Victor Depta…
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